


New Kid

by imtorimountain



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, New Kid Eddie Kaspbrak, Rated for swearing, Reddie, Richie Tozier Has ADHD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-20 17:05:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14265669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imtorimountain/pseuds/imtorimountain
Summary: Based on a post/prompt by richietoaster on tumblr.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a post/prompt by richietoaster on tumblr.

“New kid, wait up!”

Eddie and Ben both turn their heads toward the voice behind them and their eyes land on the lanky boy a few feet away. Eddie’s eyes widen and he turns away again to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks.

Richie reaches them a second later. He puts a hand on Ben’s shoulder, gasping slightly for breath. “Not you, Haystack, you’re not the new kid anymore.”

Ben shrugs. “Old habits die hard.”

Eddie stops when they reach his locker and he busies himself with his books and binders.

“Hey, Eds,” Richie tries again, leaning his shoulder against the locker next to Eddie’s. Ben waves goodbye and keeps walking. Eddie glances at Richie. “Don’t call me that.”

“Aw, you love it,” Richie grins and reaches into Eddie’s locker. Eddie barely has time to react before Richie grabs his English binder. “Hey, what –”

“We’ve got homework for Monday, right?” Richie says as he opens the binder and reaches for the notebook.

“Give that back!” Eddie squeaks – _squeaks_ , what the fuck, Kaspbrak? – and yanks the binder from Richie’s grip. “You should have your own shit, Tozier.”

“Yeah, I just wanted to look at your notes. I haven’t even started yet.” Richie turns so his back is against the lockers. Eddie rolls his eyes. “That’s your problem.”

Richie grins. “Yeah. Anyway, are you free to hang out after school?”

Eddie frowns. “Hang out? Why?” He shoves the English binder into his backpack along with his pencil case. “Don’t you have your own friends?”

Richie jumps slightly as Eddie slams his locker shut, but he keeps grinning and pushes himself away from the other locker. “Sure I do, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spend time with the new kid, Eddie Spaghetti.”

“It’s just Eddie.” Eddie starts walking away as he puts on his jacket, but of course Richie follows him. “And sure, I could hang out, but I have better things to do.”

“What’s better than spending time with me?” Richie wonders and pulls his pen jacket out of his overfilled backpack. He leans his arm on Eddie’s shoulder, but the shorter of the two immediately slaps it away.

“Lots of things,” he starts and pushes a door open and they start walking toward the parking lot. “Doing that English homework, for example.” He stops and turns to Richie who’s putting on his jacket. “Or maybe not bother the new kid.”

“Come on, Eds, you know you love me,” Richie grins. Eddie ignores the flip in his stomach.

“ _Eddie_ ,” he snaps and glares at Richie. “My name isn’t Eds, or Eddie Spaghetti, or Spaghetti Man. It’s Eddie. Drop the dumb nicknames already.”

“You’re so cute when you pretend to be mad, Eds,” Richie shoots back. Eddie’s stomach flips again and this time he can’t ignore it.

Eddie groans in frustration and pushes past Richie, making his way to the school buses.

“I’ll call you later!” Richie yells after him. “I still have your number from the group project last month.” Eddie can almost hear the grin in his voice.

He steps onto his bus and sits down by the window. He spends the entire ride home on his phone, but he’s distracted the whole time as his mind jumps back to Richie. Eddie sighs, frustrated, as he recalls his stomach flipping at Richie’s words.

When he gets home he hurries up to his room, thankful that his mom isn’t home yet. He closes the bedroom door and drops his phone and backpack on the bed before he leans his forehead against the door.

He does _not_ have a crush.

As if on cue, his phone vibrates. Eddie groans and bends down to pick it up. He readies himself and takes a deep breath before he slides the green button and holds the phone to his ear.

“The fuck do you want, Richie?”

“ _Aww, you knew it was me!_ ” Richie’s voice comes from the other end. Eddie rolls his eyes and pushes himself away from the door. “Yeah, cause I didn’t check the caller ID before picking up, idiot.”

Richie laughs and Eddie nearly slaps himself. It’s _not_ an attractive laugh, he does _not_ daydream about it, he _definitely doesn’t_ have trouble focusing in English class because of it.

“ _Whatever you say, Eds_ ,” Richie says and Eddie can practically hear the grin in his voice. He rolls his eyes again and flops down on his bed. “What do you want, Rich?”

“ _I told you, Spaghetti Man! I want to hang out_.”

“But why?” Eddie asks. He puts Richie on speaker and sets the phone down in his lap, then starts pulling his school stuff out of his bag.

“ _Maybe I wanna get to know the new kid!_ ” Richie exclaims. “ _Or maybe I just wanna get close to him so I can get even closer with his mother_.”

“Shut the fuck up, Rich,” Eddie snaps. “What are you, twelve?”

“ _On a scale of one to ten of how great I am in bed, yeah_ ,” Richie shoots back without missing a beat. Eddie groans and nearly slaps a hand to his forehead.

“ _Yeah, that’s the sound I was making last night with your mom, new kid_ ,” Richie continues. Again, Eddie can hear the damn grin.

“I’m barely the new kid anymore. I’ve been at Derry High for five months now. And need I remind you that I have English homework,” Eddie says and zips up his now empty backpack before setting it down on the ground next to his bed.

“ _English Schmenglish_ ,” Richie huffs. “ _You’re the best kid in our grade, Eds, one homework assignment that isn’t perfect isn’t gonna mess that up_.”

“Richie Tozier, did you just compliment me?” Eddie half laughs and moves so he’s lying on his stomach with the phone and his English binder in front of him.

“ _I believe I did, Eddie_ ,” Richie replies and Eddie smiles slightly. “ _I even called you Eddie just now, did you notice that?_ ”

“I did, and if I weren’t extremely busy keeping my grades up, I’d call it enough of a reason to hang out,” Eddie taunts. He suppresses a giggle when he hears Richie dramatically gasp for air.

“ _Oh, happy day!_ ” Richie hollers in a sudden southern accent. Eddie hears a creaking noise in the background and wonders if Richie is jumping on his bed. “ _The new kid all but agreed to hang out with little old me. We shall be married in the morning!_ ”

“I said I would, not that I will,” Eddie reminds him and starts flipping through the English textbook.

“ _Tomayto, tomahto_ ,” Richie shrugs and Eddie hears a heavy thud. Yeah, he’s definitely jumping on the bed.

“Well Tozier, if you insist on calling me you might as well be useful,” Eddie says as he starts scribbling notes in his notebook. “What would say are three major themes in The Great Gatsby?”

Richie groans and Eddie bites back a laugh. “ _Really, Eds? You’re really gonna make me do homework?_ ”

“If you want to keep talking, yeah,” Eddie retorts. Richie huffs and Eddie hears the zipper of a backpack being opened. “ _Ugh. I’d say love, money and your mom._ ”

“I will hang up,” Eddie warns. Richie hums and says nothing else.

“Look, Richie, I really need to finish this homework,” Eddie says and looks away from his notes for a moment to look at the phone, as if it’s Richie. “Maybe I can call you later?”

“ _Or, and bear with me Spaghetti Man, maybe we don’t hang up and we just do homework while we chat?_ ” Richie suggests. Eddie bites his lip, thinking.

“ _I really want to get to know you, Eddie_.”

Eddie’s stomach does a fucking cheerleading routine complete with somersaults and backflips. He opens his mouth to speak, but his throat is dry and he can’t find any words. _What the hell?_ Where is this inability to speak coming from?

“ _Eds?_ ”

“Yeah,” he gets out, half speaking, half wheezing. “Yeah, still here.”

He scrambles for his inhaler in his pocket and takes a hit of it as discreetly as he can while Richie clears his throat.

“ _Is it okay if we still talk?_ ”

Eddie takes a deep breath and nods. Then almost slams his head against his notebook when he remembers Richie can’t see him. “Mhm, sure.” His voice is an octave higher than usual and he hates it. Why can he not control himself all of a sudden?

“ _Alright_ ,” Richie half laughs. Eddie notices he sounds further away and realizes he’s probably on speaker phone as well. Richie’s serious about studying together. All so he can get to know Eddie.

“Right,” he clears his throat and shakes his head to clear it. “Okay. Um, how far have you gotten on the homework?”

“ _Like I said before, Eds, I haven’t begun yet_.”

Eddie smiles. “Troubles getting started or you just don’t feel like it?”

“ _Normally I’d say that I don’t feel like it_ ,” Richie begins, and the sudden seriousness in his voice makes Eddie’s heart flutter, “ _but you’re right. It’s been difficult to get started. ADHD is a fucking bitch_.”

“Well, let’s just start at the beginning,” Eddie says and flips to the first page of the assignment in his notebook. “I won’t just give you the answers, but I’ll help you. You’ve at least read the book, right?”

“ _Yeah_ ,” Richie confirms, “ _it took a million years but I got through it_.”

“It’s a tough one,” Eddie agrees.

They spend the next hour and a half talking about The Great Gatsby and Eddie talking Richie through the questions and explaining some of his own answers and reasoning. Richie cracks several jokes which always bring a smile or a laugh from Eddie. Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone outside of the conversation.

Somewhere around question seven, they switched to FaceTime so that Eddie could show Richie the chart he had made. Every now and then they take a quick break for Richie to clear his head and move around for a bit so he can focus better. His ADHD is usually hidden behind his jokes and constant moving around, but now Eddie notices the smaller signs. The fidgeting with his pen, the tapping of his foot against the wall behind him.

Eddie watches with a smile on his face as Richie triumphantly fist pumps the air when he finishes the last question of the assignment.

“ _Fuck yeah!_ ” he cheers. Eddie laughs as he watches Richie jump up on his bed and do a ridiculous victory dance.

“ _Hell fucking yes, I did it!_ ” Richie says as he flops down on the floor next to his phone again. “ _Man, what time is it?_ ”

“ _You_ did it?” Eddie teases as he turns to look at the watch on his night stand. “Five thirty.” 

“ _Eh, I guess I had some help_ ,” Richie says with a wink. “ _Thanks Eds, really_.” 

Eddie smiles. Just as he’s about to speak, he hears the front door open and close. He sighs. “Crap, my mom’s home. Which means dinner.” 

“ _And that’s a bad thing?_ ” Richie leans his head in his hands, drumming his fingers against his face, and looks at Eddie. Eddie can see the reflection of Richie’s phone in his thick glasses. 

“It means I can’t talk to you anymore, so I’d say it is, yeah,” Eddie says. 

Richie lights up and he flashes a shit eating grin at Eddie. “ _Aww, you like talking to me! I knew I’d get through to you, Eddie Spaghetti_.” 

“Dear Lord, stop calling me that!” Eddie groans. “Listen, I gotta go. I’ll see you in school on Monday.” 

“ _I’ll call you_ ,” Richie says. 

Eddie smiles. “Sure. Tomorrow?” 

“ _Yes sir_ ,” Richie salutes and winks. Eddie laughs. “See you later, alligator.” 

“ _In a while, crocodile_ ,” Richie replies without missing a beat. 

Eddie raises a finger to the red button on the screen and hangs up. The second the screen goes blank, he drops his face into the covers below him. 

Why on earth is it so easy to talk to Richie on the phone but not in real life? Why is it even difficult in the first place? 

Eddie lifts his head slightly and looks at his notebook which is now opened to the last page. 

Right. That’s why. 

The last page is filled with doodles and and scribbles, mostly ridiculous things like notes between Eddie and Ben during class. But scattered around the edges are hearts – _hearts_ , of all things, like some love sick puppy – and two reoccurring letters. _R+E_. 

Eddie sighs and closes the notebook before faceplanting into the covers again. 

Crushes suck. 


	2. Chapter 2

The days grow longer and the nights warmer as the small town of Derry leaves winter behind and heads into spring. Eddie stays inside most of his freetime due to his allergies that his mother makes sure to remind him of. More often than not, however, he finds himself FaceTiming Richie. It’s become a routine; every Friday afternoon they study together and then talk until one has to leave for dinner. Lately they’ve also picked up the habit of talking after, the two of them staying up late just enjoying each other’s company.

Eddie can’t help but feel a little (okay, a lot) upset that he can’t see Richie in person. His mother keeps saying that any contact with pollen can be dangerous. He’s safe in school because he takes his medicine in the morning, but she claims that it starts wearing off around the time he ends.

So, Eddie’s stuck in his house with his homework and his phone. He tries not to complain too much, though. His mom just wants him to be healthy, right?

On the first day of spring break, he’s lying on his bed with his legs propped up against the wall as he scrolls through his history essay one last time. His phone lies on his chest with Richie on speaker, but not FaceTime since Richie’s apparently taking a walk and wants to save battery.

“ _So that’s why Luke Skywalker isn’t straight_ ,” Richie finishes his argument and Eddie hums. “Sounds plausible. I like your thinking.”

“ _Music to my ears, Eds_.”

“I still don’t get why you’re out for a walk, Rich,” Eddie says as he submits his essay and closes the laptop, letting it slip down on the bed. “The rain is fucking pouring down.”

He glances out the window at the rain streaming down the glass and smattering against the roof and ground.

“ _Well, I figured that the rain means less pollen, so I’m actually headed to Casa Kaspbrak to steal you away for the day_ ,” Richie confesses.

Eddie sits up so quickly that his phone flies off his chest and hits the floor.

“What?!”

Richie laughs, loud and clear and _way too amazing for his own fucking good_.

“Richie, you’re on your way here?”

“ _Your timing could not have been more perfect_ ,” Richie says and suddenly he hangs up, and the sound of the doorbell rings through Eddie’s house.

“Ohhh man.”

— — —

Richie presses the doorbell while he lowers his umbrella and then waits. He runs a hand through his hair, attempting to at least sort of tame the damp curls.

The door opens and Eddie comes into view. Richie’s hand freezes at the sight of Eddie, standing not even two feet away with his own hair sticking up all over the place. Richie takes in the sight of his soft pink sweater tucked into his jeans and the light blush dusting his face. He must have hurried downstairs. The thought makes Richie smile.

“‘Sup, Spaghetti?”

“What the fuck, Richard?” Eddie blurts. Richie laughs at the reference.

“What? Am I not allowed to visit my friend?”

“No, Richie, that’s kind of the point,” Eddie says, but he seems to relax a little. “My allergies –”

“Can go fuck themselves,” Richie interrupts and gestures to the rain. “Most of the pollen crap is washed away by now, it’s been raining for like a week.”

Eddie bites his lip. “I guess,” he says slowly. He looks Richie up and down, eyeing the blue umbrella in his hand. “And you want to go out – I mean, hang out?”

Eddie’s blush deepen and he turns his head to the ground. Richie is pretty sure he’s blushing, too.

 _Well sure, I’d love to go out_ , he wants to say. _Been trying to flirt with you all year_.

What he says instead isn’t much better. “Uh, yeah. Maybe go for a walk and see where that takes us?”

Smooth, Tozier.

“I forgot my umbrella in school on Friday,” Eddie says. Richie shrugs and holds up his own. “We’ll share.”

“Well,” Eddie begins, “as long as I’m back before my mom comes home.”

“It’s not even twelve and Mrs. K isn’t due back until five thirty, so I’d say we’ve got plenty of time,” Richie says with a grin and a wink. Eddie rolls his eyes but reaches behind him to pull his raincoat from its hook.

A minute later he joins Richie outside and locks the door behind him.

“Alright then, Eds,” Richie says and opens the umbrella. He holds it above their heads. “Shall we be off?”

Eddie rolls his eyes again but he smiles up at Richie, effectively making the taller boy’s heart melt.

The two start walking in comfortable silence. Richie glances down at Eddie now and then. He looks so peaceful walking next to Richie and Richie finds himself, not for the first time, wishing he could kiss him.

He shakes his head to get rid of the thought. Eddie is his friend, he’d never feel the same way. Sure, he’s gay – Richie smiles as he remembers the first time they met in the school’s GSA club – but that doesn’t mean he’ll like Richie.

“What’s got you so quiet and mysterious?” Eddie’s voice interrupts his thoughts.

“Just thinking,” Richie replies. Eddie narrows his eyes. “Usually when you’re thinking, you don’t shut up about it.”

Richie laughs. He wraps his free arm around Eddie’s shoulders and ruffles his hair. “Don’t you worry that pretty head of yours, Spaghetti Man.” He pulls his arm back and flashes Eddie a grin. “I’m alright.”

“ _Eddie_ ,” Eddie reminds him for the millionth time. “I’m starting to get used to Eds, but Jesus, stop with Spaghetti already.”

“Never in a million years,” Richie shoots back.

Eddie hits his arm lightly. “You’re lucky the nickname Dick never caught on for you.”

“Lucky?” Richie gasps and puts his hand to his chest. “Eddie, my man, my dude, my buddy, I am _upset_ and _offended_ that it didn’t. So many dick jokes I can’t pull!” He throws his hand up in the air. “Such a waste!”

“I take it back,” Eddie snorts. “The _entire world_ is lucky that it never caught on.”

“Oh you’re just as sad as I am that you don’t get to yell Dick all the time,” Richie says. “I mean, your mom yells it all the time when she’s begging for more of my –”

“Beep beep, Richie.”

The two spend the next hour walking through the rain with no clear destination. At some point, Eddie takes the umbrella from Richie so his arms can rest. Before long, they realize their feet have taken them to the quarry.

“You better not suggest that we go for a swim,” Eddie warns and takes a step closer to the edge. Richie follows.

“I may be a bit reckless at times, Spaghetti,” he says, “like trying to get the new kid to be my friend.” Eddie laughs and lightly shoves Richie’s side with his free arm. Richie grins. “But I would never suggest that we swim while it’s raining. At least not when we don’t have a warm car and dry clothes nearby.”

Eddie looks at Richie with a raised eyebrow. “Yes, Richie, you would.”

Richie winks. “You know it.”

They stay by the edge for a couple more seconds before Eddie steps back. He reaches for Richie and grabs him by his sleeve to pull him under the umbrella. Richie steps away from the cliff and turns to walk back the same way they came, but Eddie’s hand stays on his arm and keeps him still.

“Richie,” Eddie breathes. Richie’s own breath catches and he looks down into Eddie’s eyes.

“Yeah, Eds?”

Eddie doesn’t say anything, he just looks up at Richie. Richie’s heart beats hard in his chest, the pace quickening when he notices Eddie’s eyes dart down for a split second.

He doesn’t notice until Eddie suddenly pulls back that they have been leaning closer to each other. Eddie blinks, then looks away from Richie and lets go of his arm.

“Let’s keep walking,” he mumbles. Richie nods dumbly, but he stays still as Eddie starts leading the way back to town. The rain immediately drenches him, plastering his unruly hair to the sides of his face and his forehead.

“Rich?” Eddie says from a few feet away and turns to him. “You coming?”

Richie turns to Eddie. He, once more, wishes he could kiss Eddie.

He almost had. Eddie had been leaning closer, too.

Richie feels the rain running down his neck, seeping into his clothes. He looks at Eddie, standing under the blue umbrella with his red raincoat and soft, wavy hair.

“What’s the matter, Richie?” Eddie asks. He looks at Richie with a small smile, if slightly confused.

 _Fuck it_.

Richie walks up to Eddie and stops right in front of him. Eddie opens his mouth to say something else, but Richie lifts his hands up to Eddie’s face and pulls him toward him.

Their lips meet and Richie’s heavily beating heart feels like it’s soaring. As he closes his eyes, he hears Eddie gasp slightly. But when Eddie uses his free hand to grab the front of Richie’s jacket to pull him closer instead of pushing him away, Richie moves his hands into Eddie’s hair. The same beautiful hair he dreams of playing with, touching, feeling, and he’s kissing the soft lips that occupy his thoughts and steal away his breath during fifth period. 

Eddie is the first to pull away, and the moment he does, Richie opens his eyes and looks into Eddie’s. Eddie looks like his mind is going a million miles per second. Richie feels like his is, too.

“You’re all wet,” Eddie pipes up, still looking a bit dumbfounded. Richie laughs. He moves one hand down to the one Eddie is holding on the umbrella. He carefully tilts it to the side, the umbrella falling away. Rain pours down on Eddie, but he doesn’t lift the umbrella up.

“So are you,” Richie says quietly. He moves his hand back to Eddie’s face, tracing the outline with his fingers.

“Richie,” Eddie breathes, a repetition from not even a minute earlier.

Richie leans in and kisses him again. The rain falling from the sky runs down their faces and through their hair, but Richie doesn’t care. He’s kissing Eddie, his hands are in Eddie’s now dripping wet hair, and he hums happily as Eddie lets go of the umbrella and grabs his jacket with both hands.

They break apart again, looking into each other’s eyes, not caring about the rain around them.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the second day of class,” Richie whispers.

Eddie smiles. “Only the second?”

Richie grins and kisses Eddie’s nose. “I somehow didn’t notice your cute face in English class until I saw you at GSA afterward.”

Eddie’s smile widens. He pulls Richie down and kisses him yet again. It’s only their third kiss but Richie already knows he’ll never get enough of this. Of Eddie.

When they part, Eddie shivers and reaches for the umbrella. “As nice as this is,” he says and holds the umbrella above them, “I’m fucking freezing. Let’s go back.”

Richie nods. He takes the umbrella from Eddie and takes Eddie’s hand in his other.

The way back is slowed down by kisses and slight numbness in their limbs due to the cold, but soon they’re cuddled up together on Eddie’s bed in dry clothes and their arms around each other.

“We’re probably gonna get sick now,” Eddie mumbles against Richie’s chest. Richie smiles into Eddie’s hair and presses a kiss to his forehead.

“Worth it?”

Eddie smiles as well and leans his head back just enough to look at Richie.

“Yeah,” he says softly. “Worth it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Don't be afraid to leave kudos and maybe a comment ❤

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Don't be afraid to leave kudos and maybe a comment ❤


End file.
